Salminen Shines in Rautavaara’s Remarkable Rasputin

 I've long been a fan of Rautavaara's music and was excited when I learned he was taking on another operatic project and such an exciting one.

The production is gorgeous, a spare rotating stage with set pieces, columns, etc. which more than adequately suggest the scenes, especially so with the ornate set decorations of furniture, mirrors, Icons, etc. appropriate to each scene.

Rautavaara's score sounds, at first hearing anyway, to be just a slight departure from his previous styles. At the outset, there is a strong similarity to Strauss (Elektra, primarily) and Berg (more Lulu than Wozzeck) yet it remains uniquely Rautavaara's own. After the initial "modernism" the score seems to become more tonal as the work goes on. Choral music throughout is reminiscent of all the greats in the Russian tradition. It is as powerful, thrilling a score as I've heard in years.

I've ever heard of mezzo Lili Paasikivi, but, holy God, is this a voice of power, richness, and beauty. The first few minutes of the opera are dominated by her performance as Alexandra and . . . words fail me as to the gloriousness of her sound. It has that intensity so similar in the singing of of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, but sizably larger - her annunciation (of course I don't understand Finnish) is crisp, precise that, combined with an urgency to her tone is breathtaking. Physically, she reminds me (very strongly) of Anna Tomawa Sintow.

Of course there's the title role which here is sung by Matti Salminen - ah. His first aria is nothing short of astonishing in its beauty. Through amazing scoring, Rautavaara captures the essence of Rasputin and the powerful, hypnotic effect he had on people. The aria builds and builds, sustaining tension throughout, yet with an undulating pulse that flows like the Volga and offers a sense of tranquility that stirs the young hemopheliac son of of the Tsar and Tsarina and then offers him tranquility. It may be the most gorgeous aria written for a basso in 100 years, and Salminen invests every phrase with his trademark plushness of sound and attention to every nuance of the score. The orchestration of the aria is at times transparent, with different sections of the orchestra each weaving over each other in a tapestry of sound that pushes the music forward magically, harps, strings, horns, bells. Amazing.

Rasputin's first aria segues into an entire scene which expands and ends the opera's first scene as the set rises, revealing a religious procession during which Rasputin, priests and rable rousers get the crowd going, self-flagelation, ecstatic ritual dancing explodes into an orgy of sound and vision that is almost demonic in its totality. I was left breathless.

My old favorite Jorma Hynninen, still handsome, still with that voice but both physique and sound are showing a bit of age. He remains an amazing stage creature and his fatalistic, fearful, superstitious religious Nicholas is well thought out and beautifully sung.

As the opera progresses, Rautavaara's score grows in beauty and characterizes all the political social upheaval of the time. (I don't get the review here that said the music goes nowhere . . . I find it quite the opposite). There are so many beautiful musical moments it's almost obscene. The choruses are all one could wish for, the solo scenes, powerful and dramatic the entire thing giving one pause for thought of current global political situations without ever stepping out of the era of Rautavaara's well constructed libretto (is he our modern Wagner?)

Tenor Jyrki Anttila creates one of the opera's most fascinating characters, Felix Yusupov, who while attempting for the hand of the Tzar's neice, is also the subject of rumors for his "unnatural friendship" with young Dmitri. The two are a menace as they plot Rasputin's demise, but Anttila's Felix really almost steals the show. An interesting staging effect occurs when he's brought to Rasputin for "healing" and in his delirium his voice begins coming out over the opera house's loudspeakers, (don't be put off by how that sounds, it really is effective and non-intrusive) and we watch his physical reactions as we hear his inner thoughts. It's theatre magic!

The finale is (as is the entire work) tremendous theatre and as Rasputin's body disappears the streets are filled with Russian people bemoaning their fate, a huge drop of Rasputin's eyes fills the back wall of the stage, and using, once again the house sound system, Rasputin's voice comes back to us from death, predicting endless spilling of blood. As the music reaches it's zenith, all the drop cloths fall from the flies covering everything as a small ensemble representing the Soviet Union to come emerges: the shirtless workers in their coveralls, carrying hammers, a soviet soldiers, a white dressed smiling woman carrying sheaves of wheat, etc., the young man with the hammer smiling and pointing to the future. It was positively chilling.

Vilppu Kiljunen deserves some sort of award for his direction, which was tight, served the music about as perfectly as possible and made for amazing viewing.

I have heard damning praise that the work isn't "intellectual" enough in its approach. Well, I don't go to the opera for intellectual works, but rather to feel and hear and see. Besides, I can think of fewer stories in need of intellectualism than Rasputin. His hold on the public was emotional, spiritual and mystical and in that Rautavaara gives us all I wanted . . . and more.

I get the sinking feeling (I wonder why) Rasputin won't do too well in the States, but damn, it's one of the most exciting new things I've seen in years. The score pushes tonality to the brink, but is never less than beautiful. It's a big opera requiring a huge orchestra (lots of good percussive effects and a beautiful on-stage piano solo which works its way into the tapestry of the score). I think it would play well as a certain Metropolitan Opera House in New York